Turning Archive 2005

Subject:

Is it really safer?

Terry Daniel>I am bringing a thread to the top because it is very important. I do not think anything is more unsafe than a false sense of security. Having been a designer and manufacturer of high speed packaging machinery I have had to deal with this many times. I remember when OSHA first came on the scene and everything that moved had to have a guard over it with interlock switches. I saw more injuries after the guards than before. People think because there is a guard over something it is safe and they can get careless without risk of injury. A perfect example of this is the gurads that come on lathes. Look at your guard. If you are not looking through it at the spinning wood it is not protecting you. Worse yet, it is a danger to you. Why? IF the wood comes off and goes away from you it will hit the guard and bounce back into your face. Why not just let the piece keep sailing away from you? The guard is only good for others in the room....not the operator. If you are turning before a group then use the guard to protect them. If you want to protect yourself then leave the guard off and stand out of the line of fire and watch the blown up pieces sail away from you. Rebuttals welcome.
TD